Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Communication Skills in Clinical Practice
Teaching staff
Students can ask the professor any questions at the end of each class. Outside of these hours, appointments must be made by email:
Dra. Montserrat Virumbrales Cancio (montsev@uic.es)
Dr. Xavier Martínez Regada (xavimr@uic.es)
Introduction
Following in order to train the future doctors entirely, in this course we intend to develop the personal qualities, skills and competencies that promote the communication, focusing on the relationship with patients and families.
According to Buck(1994)” has Professional competences who: has knowledge, necessary skills and abilities, to practice a profession; can review professional problems independently and flexible is also trained to work with their professional environment and in the organization of work.
From this perspective, competence is a behavior resulting from the acquisition of knowledge, skills and values, relatives of his life and his profession.
In this course, we will focus specifically on enhancing the transversal skills of the Medicine degree (interpersonal communication, teamwork, critical thinking) through active methodologies, early patient integration, and advanced technological tools such as AI.
Pre-course requirements
There are not previous requirements.
Objectives
The main objective is to advance the humanization of medicine, doing the work with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity to the needs of those who are protagonists of care: patients, families and other professionals.
Specific Objectives:
- Understand the essential elements of clinical communication.
- Appreciate the importance of communication skills in obtaining relevant information for clinical diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of patients.
- Raise awareness of the personal experience of the disease.
- Develop communication skills (empathy, active listening, assertiveness, etc.) for interaction with the individual, family, and the community.
- Learn strategies for communication in complex contexts (bad news, hostility, pediatrics, geriatrics, etc.).
- Promote critical reflection and the use of digital tools and AI to support learning.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 01 - Recognise the essential elements of the medical profession, including ethical principles, legal responsibilities and patient-centered professional skills.
- 02 - Understand the importance of central principles, in particular of professional confidentiality for the benefit of patients, society and the profession.
- 21 - Listen carefully, obtain and synthesize relevant information about the problems affecting the patient and understand the contents of this information.
- 23 - Communicate effectively and clearly, both orally and in writing with patients, family members, media and other professionals.
- 24 - Establish good interpersonal communication skills that enables efficient and empathetic communication with patients, relatives, media and other professionals.
- CTI-1 - To know how to communicate effectively through written and oral communication in a foreign language that will allow them to work in an international context.
- CTP-2 - To develop a perception and understanding of their own emotions and those of others, as well as the intelligence adjust answers.
- CTS-3 - To promote and ensure respect for human rights and the principles of universal accessibility, equality, non-discrimination as well as the values of democracy and a culture of peace.
Learning outcomes of the subject
After completing the course the student will be able to:
- Describe the foundations of effective communication in medicine.
- Identify and explain communication principles and how they apply in the clinical context.
- Recognize that effective communication with patients influences patient satisfaction and improves consultation outcomes.
- Show empathy for the patient's experience of illness.
- Show sensitivity and empathy toward the patient and their situation in simulated patient cases.
- Apply communication skills in simulations.
- Manage complex clinical situations using protocols.
- Conduct self-assessment and critical reflection.
- Use digital and AI tools for clinical practice.
Syllabus
Thematic Block
1 Fundamentals of communication: elements, barriers, clinical evidence
2 Experience with illness: forums with patients, reflection
3 Communication skills: empathy, assertiveness, active listening
4 Complex communication: bad news, pediatrics, geriatrics, hostile patient
5 Practical application: role-playing, simulation with standardized patients
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Practical classes will be presented through the use of audiovisual methods, debates, role-playing, simulation, and interaction with real patients. An emotional and experiential dimension consistent with the content taught will be introduced: communication, relational, and decision-making aspects.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Continuous assessment will be conducted, which will include the following components:
- Monitoring of attendance and participation; attendance at all classes is mandatory. Absence from a session will only be permitted for duly justified reasons. 15%
- Group project, which will be assessed on content, reflection, and presentation (originality, clarity of presentation, etc.). 35%
- Ability to communicate and/or identify barriers and facilitators in encounters with simulated patients. 15%
- Portfolio: self-assessment and activities and/or exercises proposed at the end of the class. 35%
To pass the course, the student must obtain an average grade above 5 and have attended at least 11 of the 12 sessions.
Students who do not pass the subject in the ordinary session will have an extraordinary session in July which will consist of completing a portfolio that will include a series of exercises related to the content worked on in the different sessions (50%), keeping the grade obtained in the ordinary session in the group project and in the participation component in the activities.
Bibliography and resources
"Manual de la relación médico-paciente" Foro de la profsión médica de España. 2024 (2ª edición)
"Comunicación clínica. Principios y habilidades para la práctica". Roger Ruiz Moral. Editorial Panamericana. 2021
"Vinculo entre médico y paciente. 9 claves para conquistar la relación médico-paciente". Rosa Virginia Salom García. Independently published, 2020
“La entrevista clínica”. V. Gradillas y V. Gradillas. Ars Médica. 2006
“Entrevista clínica. Manual de estrategias prácticas”. F. Borrell. Semfyc. 2004
"La Comunicación. Una competencia esencial para los profesionales de la salud". X. Clèries. Editorial Elsevier Masson. Barcelona, 2006 (1ª edición)